Mark Zuckerberg spends $43 MILLION on private security after giving over $5 million to 'defund the police' initiatives

Meta CEO and founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has paid $43 million for personal security. At the same time, a family-run foundation of his has donated millions to "defund the police" organizations. 

According to journalist Lee Fang, since 2020, the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) has donated $3 million to PolicyLink, the organization backing DefundPolice.org.

Meanwhile, Meta has dedicated over $40 million to Zuckerberg for personal security. 

DefundPolice.org claims it is the "one-stop-shop for organizers looking for tools, resources, and trainings to divest from policing and build safer communities."

One resource offered by the organization is its Police Department Size Calculator. It is designed to put selected police department sizes "in context" with others around the country. 

The tool does not take crime rates into account using its calculations. 

A sample of a calculation about Schenectady, New York recommended, with the population size of the city, the police department of Schenectady should be reduced by 57 to be at the bottom range of national averages. 


Recommendation from DefundPolice.org of Schenectady, New York

The recommendation would place the number of police officers in Schenectady at 104. This would be similar to Old Bridge Township in New Jersey. The calculator is used Old Bridge Township as an optimal example, as it has only 100 police officers and a similar population size to Schenectady, NY.

Calculations from DefundPolice.org: highlights added

Schenectady is safer than 10 percent of US neighborhoods while Old Bridge is safer than 73 percent of them, according to Neighborhood Scout. 

Zuckerberg's organization, CZI, has also donated $2.5 million to Solidaire, a foundation that supports activists who want to abolish policing altogether.

Solidaire, as stated on its website, "is a community of donor organizers mobilizing critical resources to the frontlines of intersectional movements for racial, gender, and climate justice."

In a press release, Solidaire previously stated, "When we say 'defund and abolish the police,' we mean exactly that; we need policies and solutions that center community and investments  in housing, education, good jobs, and mental and physical health for all."

"This is how we stop crime," it continued. 

The CZI has also provided funds to local police departments around Meta's headquarters in Melo Park, CA, and others by its Redwood City, CA offices.